Mahali
This is an isolated language I developed for a fictional piece based around an all-female society of mermaids. Phonology Consonants and voiced labio-velar approximate /w/ Vowels Phonotactics * Syllables (C©) * Allowed consonant pairings: * First instance of adjacent vowels separated by a glottal stop V'V * The above case is the only instance in which a glottal stop can occur. All remaining instances of adjacent vowels must be separated by /h/ VhV Writing System All letters correspond to IPA except for those noted here: Grammar 1 * Verbs conjugated according to the table above. Present Progressive form (ing): aw * Verbs must agree with subject nouns in ending vowel. If the subject noun ends in /e/, all vowels in the verb ending change to an /e/. This would make the past 3rd person plural -enese * Infinitive verbs end in /a/ * Adverbs follow the verb and agree with the subject noun * Adjectives (with exception of numerical modifiers) must agree with the modified noun in end vowel * Plurality indicated by ma- prefix * Genitive (possessive) indicated by affix o such that the possessed item precedes and the possessor follows. Think Spanish de. * SVO word order is default word order * Article la/le/li/lo/lu marks the direct object. It agrees with the end vowel of the modified noun * The object noun, with its marker, can be moved before the subject to create passive voice * Questions are formed in VSO order and marked with rising intonation * Subject and object pronouns (I/me, we/us, she/her, they/them) are the same morpheme Lexicon '' Pronouns I- ja we (inclusive)- larewa we (exclusive)- larowa you- kwa y’all (plural)- makwa she (animate)- owa it (inanimate)- owi’i they (animate)- ona they (inanimate)- oni’i Feeling Adjectives/Verbss hungry/to hunger- onumwa tired/to be tired- drusa sad/to be sad- dunama angry/to be angry- hoga ill/to be ill- raliwe embarrassed/to be embarrassed- helare ashamed/to be ashamed- sowa thankful/to be thankful- lime doubtful/to be doubtful- tiha worried/to be worry- webaka sore/to be sore- owida hopeful/to be hopeful- liho itchy/to itch- nitse Question/Answer question- mawoste answer- loho’a who- pija what- pire where- pimo when- pika why- pivi how- piwe this- berere that- bere there- bemo then- beka long- dane Adjectives short- ose wide- tse tall- vre narrow- agise small- melera medium/neutral- ewe middle- ekware hot- taniske warm- ihe cold- ode new- ine old- elete good- sale bad- skagre full- sare empty- spre neat- trehene messy- hapele murky- iske clear- pote shiny- sokale’e dry- ta’ese smooth- ome sharp- tike rough- jake heavy- ewile light- lire skinny- ene fat- wage high (pitch)- a’e low (pitch)- be quiet- kene loud- bome different- ubre same- like strange- wespe normal- epehe common- lare rare- iwoke right/correct- dare wrong- tselukre beautiful- kalele ugly- uku’e curious- oklure friendly- rade unfriendly- norade (from friendly ''rade and prefix negative no) intelligent- pekohe stupid- igrate great/best- sasale (from good sale) terrible/worst- skaskagre (from bad skagre) worthy- hanebe sweet- nere salty- gwate umami- fame bitter- ospite Quantity total- drili all- afra many- dolalo few- itsi most- hakiha’i (from yes ha’i) least- nono (from no no) less/subtract- adima more/add- riple only- bi some- sla’ati part/piece- ada zero/none- nela one- be two- se three- he four- ele five- ala six- to seven- ka eight- ri nine- sadu ten- sko eleven- skobe (ten 1) twelve- skose (ten 2) … twenty- sesko (2 ten) twenty-one- seskobe (2 ten 1) … hundred- mekala two hundred- se mekala … three hundred and thirty three- ka mekala kaskoka first/initial- robe second- rose … last/final- klima Time time- ka second- rama minute- pe hour- ovra day- a’ola week (5 days)- etare month (29/30 days)- loda (from moon loda) year (12 months)- amoni season/cycle- metaba summer- faleri winter- kate spring- inara fall- umigi night- lise sunrise/dawn- nalehamona (from up nale and sun hamona) sunset/dusk- ladruhamona (from down ladru and sun hamona) morning- emame evening- lehoska noon- adable afternoon- era’adable (from after era and noon adabe) before- latsa after- era early- vresa late- tseli earlier- vrevresa later- tsetseli always- stasle often- mila rarely- so’iwoke never- wi’uba again- kito while- ajosi now- kereti tomorrow- eme yesterday- kiha past- ari future- rekana Color red- ake green- ralama yellow- vrebrale blue- otsinu orange- kidri purple- elewa teal (more green than blue)- a’ope turquoise (more blue than green)- rebida white- kale black- lepijo light- laka dark- elisi Body Nouns head- kweso ear- afela eye- olihi nose- saswi mouth- etoni lips- ma’opi tooth- drali tongue/speech- baso neck- daguske throat- eso’a arm- e’ilu elbow- gletse hand- ani finger- ifola thumb- do belly- edawo back- onila breast- muwela skin- resposu blood- oro bone- aspesi stomach- krabeni liver- osuke intestines- matan heart- arepa waste- kaka hair- pelo nail- omila scale- koto tail- ga fluke- fani Verbs be- isa do- hatsa make- unopa try- rota breathe- eleva suffocate- no’eleva (from breathe eleva and prefix negative no) eat- ebosa bite- lapola look/seek- oba see/sight- obesa hear- hera sound/to make noise- ku’ela smell- vriruda taste- atola feel/touch- aja know- romika think- apona believe- ofula sleep- lema wake- kliwa birth- osame die- grune kill- huke wound- iraka break- ska ruin- miga swim (slowly)- stolida (from swim normally lida) swim (normally)- lida swim (quickly)- ralida (from swim normally lida) move- vreda sink- elata float- frela hunt- tarama catch- mona come- omogwa avoid- sajome twist- mila turn- rema smash- gibera roll- emala gouge- draka guide- abola lie (down)/recline- wospa orient oneself parallel- spahoda orient oneself perpendicular- stakwiba laugh- erula smile- asila frown- anewa give- gola grant- gilifa bless- afraja take- redesa keep- lihana say- basa (from tongue baso) ask- aska tell- bika sing- kala swear/give oath- e’ana love- idala like/enjoy- alina dislike/be aggravated by- no’alina (from like alina and prefix negative no) hate- spatsa want- sta leave- tahita go- amoga stay- no’amoga (from go amoga and prefix negative no) let/allow- temispa forbid/prohibit- senakra put- wespa seem/appear- misa’asa begin- skiha end- pelaba carry- meta change- maraka join- astira meet- ihisa trade- gwiha barter- wadiva respect- amama have/own- ilaka Animal and Plant Nouns mermaid/person- ladwa human- kige male- piwawespi (from strange wespi and prefix associated thing piwa) animal/creature- narake fish- eme’e jellyfish- wota shark- lahato whale- amedi octopus- livrita squid- ufi eel- i’ile coral- ba seaweed- haho anemone- anemone egg- a’a shell- lekawo oyster- atemi pearl- posi barnacle- lesko algae- laso algal bloom- lasoso sea star- atave sea cucumber- letu dolphin- akuha Environmental Nouns life- ra sun- hamona moon- loda ocean- sasale mame (from'' great ''sasale, and mother mame) rain/water- oro o sasale mame (from blood oro, of o'', and ocean sasale mame'') air- aseha surface (above water)- astehi trench- dospo mountain- ena cave- lefolu home- welo deep water- ogo shallow water- blima wave- desi stone- ospaso sand- e’i reef- pitsi surface current- gada deep water current- wihojo hunting ground- lidutarama (from tarama to hunt, ''and place ''lidu) danger- alara glow- lutoda shine- ale’e storm- ejofo Produced Object Nouns ship- te’u rope- eselo net- kesa knot- legu metal- vodale spear- bena knife- gako driftwood- itospa basket- slisi jewelry- mesade hook- gwako hammer- eturaki chisel- todro tool- tule bag- piwameta (from carry meta and prefix associated thing piwa) song- octave- wase note (music)- egi story/to tell a story- resta gift- piwagola (from give gola and prefix associated thing piwa) food- tsele fishbait- eme’etsele (from fish eme’e and food tsele) Family/Social Nouns mother- mame sister- naja (from I ja and prefix near na) child- inasani (from new ina and fluke sani) daughter- ama nuclear family- nabasa (from family basa and prefix near na) extended family- basa merfolk/people- gebasa (from nuclear family bas''a and prefix far ''ge) outsider/social outcast- nobasa (from nuclear family basa and prefix negative no) cousin- hedi aunt- namame (from mother mame and prefix near na) niece- enolo grandniece- dekwamu grandmother- sola granddaughter- ekri great aunt- na’sola (from grandmother sola and prefix near na) unrelated girl/woman w/o children- gehedi (from cousin hedi ''and prefix far ''ge) unrelated mother- gemame (from mother mame and prefix far ge) unrelated grandmother- gesola (from grandmother sola and prefix far ge) ancestor- iskeme tribe- eweho elder (of higher social class)- uta’a youth/girl (of lower social class)- bebe stranger- luko shaman- ekala (from sing kala ''and prefix associated person ''e) hunter- etarama (from hunt tarama and prefix associated person e'') hello- ma’asila (from smiles ''ma’asila) goodbye- afraselikwi (bastardization of blessed journey) alone- hable together- kotse Relative Location/Directionality here- bekamo place- lidu everywhere- afralidu (from all afra and place lidu) in- ale on- a off- hu out- ibo near/close- nana (from prefix close na) far- gege (from prefix far ge) over- ahaspa under- atomo through- duji top- se’abla bottom- se’opo side- rimeli left- dideda right- taspu up- nile down- ladru across/opposite- kusti against/adjacent- amensa among- erasa forward- kobre back- naso Miscellaneous to- tu into- aletu (from in ale and to tu) too/also- emi a/the- la/le/li/lo/lu no- no yes- ha’i but- pero and- i or- da of/belonging to- o by- ja from- so may- ta should- bekini could- twakini would- pokini if- samo because- esko so- adu for- fo with/together- sa without- nosa (from with sa) than- okwa quite- rapora very- neta name- komo word- tsu idea- pedre must- tadu must not- notadu (from must tadu and prefix negative no) can- dra cannot- nodra (from can du and prefix negative no) everything- afrapiwa (from all afra and thing piwa) value- alesa purpose/reason- bekora meeting- blene journey- lekwili weight- ralota maybe/possibly- eta secret- sakite please- atse thank you- plane Example text May the Great Mother smile on our meeting (formal greeting) Ta Sasale Mame asile a le blene o larewa may great mother smile on obj-meeting of us(in.) May the Great Mother bless your journey (formal farewell) Ta Sasale Mame afraje li lekwili o kwa may great mother bless obj-journey of you Sharks often swim in that area Malahato lido milo ale beru lidu sharks swim often in that area The shaman sang the home song and a cave was made in the mountain Ekala kalasa la kala o welo i lefolu unopusu ale ena shaman sang obj-song of home and cave made in mountain '' '' Later in the year we will be able to hunt in the hunting grounds again Tsetseli ale amoni larowa drarafa tarama ale la lidutarama kito later in year we(ex.) can hunt in obj-hunting grounds again